Teen's high school project becomes celebrated abolition documentary

FYI

The Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History’s free screening of Luke Jaden’s “Madman or Martyr” documentary about 1800s abolitionist John Brown is Friday, Jan. 31. Doors open at 5:30, with the movie at 6 p.m., followed by a Q&A session. For more information, visit http://thewright.org. Teaser trailer: https://vimeo.com/72438662

What started as a school project for history class turned into a 40-minute documentary about abolitionist John Brown, with a premiere this weekend at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History.

Luke Jaden, 17, a senior at Detroit Country Day High School, took his end-of-

year assignment to the next level when he was a junior in history class. He made the documentary featuring music by David Winans and starring actors who worked in TV and films such as “Prison Break” and “Oz: The Great and Powerful.”

The Clarkston teen’s class project, “Madman or Martyr,” landed a world premiere viewing at the Wright Museum in Detroit on Jan. 31. The showing is free and open to the public. The viewing starts at 6 p.m. followed by a Q&A session with Jaden, some of the actors, historians and cinematographer.

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When first assigned the project, Jaden wasn’t thinking about a film documentary, but with a deadline moving closer to pick a topic, “one day it struck me,” he said.

“I’ve never been a history buff, just wrote so many papers throughout the years and wanted to do something different,” he said.

He started researching ideas and came across John Brown, who was a big part of the 1800s abolitionist movement and the Underground Railroad, which helped black slaves escape to the North.

“I didn’t really know where I was going with this,” he said. “It turned out much bigger that I expected.”

“Once I started researching, I fell in love with the topic,” he said. “John Brown is one of the greatest American heroes, in my opinion.”

Brown, played by Ed Kelly, (“The Double”) was a white man driven by a strong religious conviction to end slavery in America. Remembered in the song “John Brown’s Body,” sung to the tune of “The Battle Hymn of the Republic (“John Brown’s body lies a-mouldering in the grave, His soul is marching on”), he was hanged for his involvement in an unsuccessful raid on the federal armory at Harpers Ferry, W.Va.

In Jaden’s documentary, “Brown’s life falls into a dark chasm filled with anger and violence, which led to events that prevent him from achieving salvation for the African-American slaves — but whose sacrifice helps polarize Americans on the subject of slavery, arguably a flashpoint for the start of The Civil War,” according to publicity for “Madman or Martyr.”

“A mere few months before Brown’s raid … Brown transports 11 slaves to Detroit, a hub of the Underground Railroad, and discusses his Subterranean Pass Plan with Frederick Douglass and George DeBaptist along with other local Detroit Abolitionists.”

Once Jaden had researched the topic and written the script, he chose a cast through video and in-person auditions. As an actor himself — most recently in the film “Rumors of Wars,” which is set for February release — Jaden’s connections with other actors helped him cast roles.

His documentary also features Tim Holmes, whose latest film was “Oz: The Great and Powerful,” and Philip Edward Van Lear, best known for his role as Louis Patterson in the TV series “Prison Break.”

Through his grapevine of connections, he also was able to obtain original music composed by Nicholas Monjarez from Detroit, with two original tracks composed by Winans of the musical Winans Family.

“After I saw the people he had — he had real talent, professional actors, the Winans’ original music — I thought ‘Wow, he’s really ambitious,’” said Rick Manore, Jaden’s publicist. “He is a product of what can happen when you have that (film) industry here, and you get kids excited.”

The project was filmed in and around Detroit and Romeo.

Jaden made two versions of his movie, one specifically for the class, and when it came time to hand in the project, he was “scared of the reaction.” His documentary was met with “complete silence.”

“They were almost in shock of how it was made, how it came together, how powerful the topic was,” he said, adding, “I could not be more blessed. It all came together so well and I’m very happy.”

Jaden said that as a filmmaker, age doesn’t matter if you know what you are talking about.

“I led the pack and I think the most important thing was that everyone on my team believed in me, and if they didn’t I would have collapsed,” he said.

Jaden said maintaining his school work while working on the documentary was a “roller coaster.”

“I honestly don’t know how I did it,” he said.

During his research, some of the historians Jaden spoke with recommended going to the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History. Once museum personnel saw the documentary, they wanted to collaborate with his school and Detroit schools to show the film. They came up with the idea of the premiere as a way to kick off Black History Month in February.

After graduating in June, Jaden plans to pursue a college degree majoring in film, with a minor in public relations.